1
as in magic
the art or skill of performing tricks or illusions for entertainment
the illusionist's show is an entertaining blend of legerdemain and over-the-top showmanship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
the reduction of the deficit is due in part to financial legerdemain that masks the true costs of running the government
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legerdemain
There is something more profound going on than constitutional legerdemain.
—
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Conservatives been rightly preoccupied with the Left’s legerdemain and subversion, but have been far too slow to confront an equally grave external danger: the accelerating penetration of foreign influence operations into our own right-of-center political ecosystem.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Between April 1 and 7, the fair gathered 60 brands at the Palexpo exhibition center that broke new records, showcased world premieres and offered an ever-growing array of technical and artistic legerdemain in their latest high-end timepieces.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2025
No matter how Congress formally scores the price of extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as other Trump initiatives, accounting legerdemain can’t make fiscal reality disappear.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legerdemain
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Conservatives been rightly preoccupied with the Left’s legerdemain and subversion, but have been far too slow to confront an equally grave external danger: the accelerating penetration of foreign influence operations into our own right-of-center political ecosystem.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Between April 1 and 7, the fair gathered 60 brands at the Palexpo exhibition center that broke new records, showcased world premieres and offered an ever-growing array of technical and artistic legerdemain in their latest high-end timepieces.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2025
No matter how Congress formally scores the price of extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as other Trump initiatives, accounting legerdemain can’t make fiscal reality disappear.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legerdemain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legerdemain
Noun
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During periods of heightened solar activity, there's even a chance of spotting auroras alongside meteors, adding an extra layer of magic to the already beautiful view!—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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But the magic comes from the simple concert format, which places all of the focus on Platt and Zegler’s voices.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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To Elliott, these seemingly minuscule mistakes that were ultimately corrected encapsulate Neon’s deception.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
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Test your hand-eye coördination and deception skills by maneuvering open windows on your desktop background, answering e-mails and texts and looking at Instagram, all while appearing to be engaged.—
Charles Yu,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Obviously, the city knew that people would see through its trickery.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Now, there is a little bit of trickery being employed here.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In the Television Academy's Miami Vice oral history, Johnson revealed the show’s cutting-edge content was made possible by simple subterfuge.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
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The trio went to great lengths to perpetrate the subterfuge, the indictment claims, including using hair dryers to remove packaging labels that were then reaffixed to thousands of fake replica servers.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Just typical power-grabbing Idaho lawmaker chicanery, right?—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Apr. 2026
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In light of the chicanery that happens in the episode, the phrase also suggests a bit of victim-blaming for the harvesting of personal data.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Inflamed by Ratansen’s adviser’s account of Padmavati’s beauty, Alauddin Khalji storms the fortress by treachery rather than valor.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
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But Bateman's treachery also had a distinctly silly side.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.—
Sue Brightman,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Jan. 2025
Noun
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One result of the existing system is that vote tabulations in California go on for weeks, something that frustrates the public and the media, and, in the current atmosphere, helps fuel suspicion of electoral skullduggery.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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The selection was announced by SMS to Iranians, among whom Mojtaba Khamenei has long had a reputation for skullduggery and power plays.—
Kay Armin Serjoie,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legerdemain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legerdemain. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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